Power window operator



y 7, 1957 J. R PROVOST 2,791,420

POWER WINDOW OPERATOR Filed Jan. 24, 1955 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Fig.6

John R. Provost /84 INVENTOR.

BY I68 M MW,

POWER WINDOW OPERATOR John Provost, Auburn, Mass.

Application January 24, 1955, Serial No. 483,457

2 Claims. (Cl. 268-124) This invention relates generally to window mechanisms and pertains more particularly to a window unit having upper and lower sections and, an actuating means for simultaneously raising and lowering these sections and control means associated therewith.

A primary object of this invention is to provide an improved form of power window assembly in which upper and lower window sections are disposed in slightly spaced relationship and with opposed rack members such that a common operating means may be positioned therebetween and in engagement with the opposed members to simultaneously cause opposed relative motion of the window members.

Still another object of this invention is to provide an improved power operated window mechanism in which the window operating mechanism is completely hidden from view and which Will create even lifting forces on opposite sides of the window units so as to obviate binding or interference in the operating mechanism and provide a smooth and noiseless power operated window assembly.

A still further object of this invention is to provide improvements in power actuated window mechanisms wherein the guide grooves in the opposite sides of the window units are formed in part by an actuating rack member upon which operating gear mechanism is engaged to raise and lower the window units.

Another object of this invention is to provide an improved power actuated window mechanism in which a novel switch mechanism is utilized for controlling the raising and lowering of the window units.

These together with other objects and advantages which will become subsequently apparent reside in the details of construction and operation as more fully hereinafter described and claimed, reference being had to the accompanying drawings forming a part hereof, wherein like numerals refer to like parts throughout, and in which:

Figure l is an elevational view partly broken away to show the con truction of the improved window assembly;

Figure 2 is an enlarged horizontal section taken substantially along the plane of section line 2-2 of Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a vertical section taken substantially along the plane of section line 33 of Figure 2;

Figure 4 is a vertical section taken substantially along the plane of section line 4-4 of Figure 2;

Figure 5 is an enlarged vertical section taken substantially along the plane of section line 5-5 of Figure 2; and

Figure 6 is a diagrammatic view showing the circuit controlling the window mechanism.

Referring now more particularly to the drawings, the reference numerals 1i and 12, respectively, indicate left and right hand window casing elements upon which the window assemblies are directly mounted. For this purpose, it will be noted that each of the casing members has a pair of vertical track members mounted thereon and that these track members are disposed in opposed nited States Patent 0 "ice vertical pairs 14 and 16 for guidably and slidably receiving opposite side edges of the upper and lower window units indicated respectively by the reference characters 18 and 20. The guide rail members 14 and 16 are preferably formed of integral strips of metallic material which present outstanding tongues which are received within grooves in the opposite side edges of the windows 18 and 2h. The adjacent edges of the windows 18 and 20 are provided with vertical stepped formations and rack members 22 are received therein such as to form in part the grooves within which the tongue portions of the guide track or rail members 14 and 16 are received. This construction is important when it is realized that the stepped formations of the sides of the Windows are readily formed by a single machining operation without the necessity of separately forming the tongue grooves and the recesses necessary for the rack members 22. As will be readily apparent, the track guide members 14' and 16 are spaced sulilciently far apart such that the window members themselves are disposed in spaced relation and, more important, the track members 22 are spaced such that the gear member 24 may be interposed therebetween and yet in engagement with both rack member for simultaneously moving the windows in opposite relative directions. Or course, one such gear member 24 is provided for each set of opposed racks of opposite window members 18 and 2d. The casing members it) and 12 are provided with openings 28 and 3t? respectively such that the gear shaft portions 32 and 34 may project therethrough and a further casing forming member 36 on the left hand side of the casing is provided with a bearing retaining cap member 38 including the flange 4 for mounting the same on the member 36 and the hub portion l-ti of cylindrical configuration which receives through its side wall a series, preferably four, of setscrew members 42 for properly centering the ball bearing member 44- retained thereby such that the gear members 24 will be in proper engagement with the racks 22.

In this respect, it will be noted that the gear shaft portion 32 is provided with a shoulder 36 engaging the inner race of the bearing 44 on one side thereof and that the free end of the shaft portion 32 is provided with a threaded recess which receives a fastening member 48 such that a thrust collar or Washer 50 is engaged against the opposite face of the inner race of the bearing 44.

The opposite gear shaft member 34 proiects through the aforementioned aperture 36 in the casing member 12 and through an aperture 54 in the casing member 56 and is rotatably received by the bearing member 58 retained on the casing member 56 by the cap member 66 in the manner shown most clearly in Figure 2. The end of the shaft portion 34 extends through the cap member 6b in a suitable aperture provided for this purpose and a gear 62 is aflixed to the free end of the shaft portion 34 by any suitable manner, this gear being in turn engaged by gear member 64 operatively connected to the electric motor 66 in the manner shown most clearly in Figure 1. Thi provides the means by which the window units are simultaneously raised and lowered. The cap member 60, like the similar member 5'3, is provided with a series of setscrew members 68, preferably four, for properly locating the bearing member 58 and the shaft assemblies and consequently the gears 24 for the purpose described above. The inner sides of the gears 24 are provided with shaft portions 76 and "72 of reduced diameter which are received within a connecting rod member '74 and held therein as by setscrews 76, the opposite ends of the rods '74 being recessed as at '78 for this purpose. It is to be understood that the entire motor and operating shaft assembly are hidden from view.

As will be seen most clearly in Figures 3 and 5, the

casing member 12 is cutaway and a mounting strap member 80 is bridged across the cut-away portion so as to provide a mounting means for the switch assemblies generally indicated by the reference characters 82 and 84. The strap 80 is provided with spaced horizontally projecting ears 86 which carry a pivot pin member 88 therebetween by means of which the actuating finger members 90 and 92 are attached to the plate 80. The free ends of the fingers 90 and 92 are looped as at 94 and 96 and project outwardly through interrupted portions of the track member 16 and in such a manner as to be engaged by the window member 20 as it is raised and lowered. The fingers 90 and 92 terminate in the pressure plate portions 100 which are provided with cup portions 102 receiving one end of the compression springs 104 which are in turn seated in cup portions 106 on the base member 80 to normally urge the switch assemblies into the position shown in Figure 5. Plungers 110 are also provided on the pressure plate portions 100 and project through suitable apertures in the base and are provided at their free ends with stop collar portions 112 such as to limit the outward swinging of the fingers 90 and 92. The plungers 110 also mount the switch contact plates 114 for urging the contacts between the conductors 116 and 118 and the conductors 120 and 122.

As will be seen most clearly in Figure 3, the upper window unit 18 is provided at its lower edge with a protruding ledge portion 130 and a metallic extension 132 thereon which extends therefrom to closely adjacent the rack member 22 of the lower end 20 and the lower window is provided along its upper edge with a protruding ledge 134 and an extension 136, comparable to the previously described extension 132. Thus, when the window units are in the position shown in Figure 3, the gears 24 are substantially enclosed and no leakage or seepage of air is permitted between the two window .units.

As will also be seen from a study of Figure 3, when the windows are in the closed position, the upper switch finger protuberance 94 is not engaged by the lower window unit 20 and consequently its circuit is open. Conversely, when the windows are in the open position, the lower switch finger protuberance 96 is disengaged by the lower window 20.

As will be seen most clearly in Figure 6, the main line leads 160 and 162 are provided with a controlling switch member 164 for obvious purposes and it will be seen that these members extend to the windings of the reversible motor assembly 66 previously mentioned. In conjunction with the window operating switches 82 and 84 previously described, manual push switch members 166 and 168 are provided. The wiring between the several switches and the motor assembly 66 is such that the switch 168 may be termed the up switch while the switch 166 may be termed a down switch and such that when the up switch 168 is pressed to close its contacts, with the window in the position shown in Figure 3 and with its contacts in the relationship shown in Figure 6, the windows will move in opposite relative directions to a point until either the switch 168 is released or the lowermost protuberance 96 of the switch finger member 92 is released to break the circuit. This latter switching will occur when the windows are at their fully open position and the lower edge of the lower window 20 passes upward beyond the protuberance 96. Conversely,

in any intermediate position of the windows, depression of either the up or down switches will occasion a corresponding motion of the windows to open and close the same as desired.

From the foregoing, the construction and operation of the device will be readily understood and further explanation is believed to be unnecessary. However, since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the invention to the exact construction shown and described, and accordingly, all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of the appended claims.

What is claimed as new is as follows:

1. In a power operated window construction, spaced vertical window casing elements, a pair of spaced, parallel, vertical guide tracks mounted on each casing element, an upper window vertically movable for closing and having its opposite side edges guidably received on one opposed pair of said tracks, a lower window vertically movable for closing and having its opposite side edges guidably received on the other opposed pair of tracks, said upper and lower windows having lower and upper lateral extensions respectively secured thereto and extending therefrom in closely spaced relation to the adjacent window, a journaled actuating shaft between said casing elements and between said extensions, a gear rigid with said shaft, a rack secured to each of said windows and in engagement with said gear, and means for driving said shaft for moving said windows, said extensions coacting when the windows are closed to enclose said shaft and gear.

2. In a power operated window construction, vertical window casing elements, a pair of parallel guide tracks mounted on each of said casing elements, an upper vertically movable window guidably received on one opposed pair of said guide tracks, a lower vertically movable window guidably received on the other opposed pair of said guide tracks, each of said windows having a vertically arranged rack thereon, means including a gear engaged with said racks, and an electric motor for raising and lowering said windows, and motor control means mounted on one of said elements and including a pair of upper and lower normally open switches mounted on said one element and including oppositely extending upper and lower switch arms operative for closing said switches and extending through one of said tracks opposite one vertical side of the lower window for wiping engagement with said side and operation thereby when said lower window is opened and closed, the upper switch closing arm being disengaged by said side when the lower window is fully closed, and the lower switch closing arm being disengaged by said side when the lower a window is fully opened.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 628,597 Bruhns July 11, 1899 1,494,948 Bujack May 20, 1924 1,554,674 Herod Sept. 22, 1925 1,963,227 Crawford et al. June 19, 1934 2,124,037 Lavigne July 19, 1938 2,587,547 Steingruber Feb. 26, 1952 2,675,589 Utley et al. Apr. 20, 1954 

